Nancy Pelosi says farmworkers back House immigration package. Should pass before summer

Sacramento — Greetings from Sac, where House Leader Nancy Pelosi dropped a little nugget: She got a “middle-of-the night” call from United Farm Workers president Arturo Rodriguez Friday night to say that he supports the House version of the immigration bill. Farm worker approval has been a sticking point.

Pelosi said she believes immigration bill will pass before the summer. While the Senate’s bi-partisan “Gang of Eight” has taken a more high-profile role in crafting an immigration package, she said there has long been a similar group in the House whose existence for years she “couldn’t confirm or deny” if they existed to protect the identity of its GOP members. California Reps. Zoe Lofgren and Xavier Becerra are on it.

In other Pelosi tidbits:

On the “chained CPI” Pelosi said she is NOT disappointed in President Obama’s budget. Liberals like Sen. Tom Harkin — as well as labor, MoveOn and many progressive groups — have blasted it, saying it would hurt seniors and veterans longterm. Pelosi seemed a bit uncomfortable being pitted between liberals and defending Obama Saturday. However, she said “myself, if I were doing it,” she would have not tied it to deficit relief. “I would have put it on its own table.”

But to clarify, Pelosi said, “I’m thrilled with the president’s budget.”

On the possibility of including an assault weapons ban in any gun control legislation: “Senator Feinstein is a very determined person,” Pelosi said as a way of saying, uh….not looking good. She noted that twenty years ago, similar legislation failed it is first time through the House. But that was a different House. Pelosi added Saturday, “The House is an obstacle on guns.”

On Dems retaking the House in 2014: Pelosi believes she needs to pick up 17 seats to win the House and “three times that many will be in play.” Most interesting is that she feels that four of those pickups will be in Florida and Texas because of redistricting there.

“I can’t tell you today that we can win,” Pelosi said. “I can tell you in six months when I see the candidates.”